As posted in an earlier blog, walking is a great all-around exercise that just about anyone can do, just about anywhere. But did you realize there is the added bonus of learning more about the city you call home? Most of the time we pass by monuments, buildings and other points of interest that we think we see, but walking – and dare I say it, walking without electronic devices - allows you to see your surroundings and more of the details that would otherwise be missed.

I found this out while training for a 60 mile charity walk and my training required me to walk many miles, usually in DC as it offered lots of things to look at and people to watch while putting one foot in front of the other. After many years of driving past and over Memorial Bridge, I found myself looking at it while approaching on foot. Memorial Bridge is considered Washington’s most beautiful bridge and is symbolic in its position linking the North (Lincoln Memorial) with the South (Arlington House). But did you know that capping the masonry arches spanning the river there are six-foot tall bison keystones sculpted by Alexander Phimister Proctor. Also, on the abutments (structures that support the arches) are bas-relief eagles in discs 12 feet in diameter flanked by fasces or a bundle of wooden sticks with an axe blade. Fasces are typically symbols of power and authority.

A brand new pedestrian bridge that connects Diamond Teague Park and the Yards Park will open Tuesday, November 22, at 1:30pm.The new bridge, which is part of the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail, creates a continuous one-mile riverwalk trail that is publicly accessible within the Capitol Riverfront and allows for easier access between the Yards Park and Nationals Park. Stadium-goers will be able to walk the trail all the way to the Grand Staircase/1st Base Gate, and water taxi customers will no longer have to walk up Tingey Street. Additionally, the new water taxi piers and public piers for canoes and kayaks have been completed.

Join city officials, Forest City Washington and local partners for a ribbon cutting to celebrate this new riverfront connection on November...

The holiday season is upon us, and you're probably thinking about travel plans. If you’re opting to leave the car at home and go for airplane, train or bus travel, we’ve got some tips for getting to your destination as conveniently and affordably as possible using public transit.
Getting to BWI:
Metrorail to Metrobus: Take the Green Line on Metrorail to the Greenbelt Station. From there, take the B30 Metrobus to the airport. Click here for the B30 timetable. Note: To accommodate higher airport ridership, Metro will have additional buses ready to place into service as necessary on the B30 route.
Metrorail to MARC Train: Take the Red Line on Metrorail to Union Station, located...

Why Ride in the Winter?
With a little planning and a positive attitude, winter can be a great time to ride, in fact there are several aspects of winter that are advantageous to cyclists:
No sweating! Dress right in cooler temperatures and you will remain comfortable throughout the ride, and finish up dry and ready to go on to the next activity.
Improved views. The lack of foliage and clear crisp weather in the winter allows for some great views of the landscape.
Work off the extra winter pounds. The winter holiday season is a time of indulgence and can often become couch potato season, but even a short bike ride can jump start your metabolism, burn lots...

The scientific name for a fear of riding buses is bustrophobia. I know this because WikiAnswers told me so, although they didn’t elaborate because it’s not actually a real word. But we know the fear is out there, and it cripples countless would-be bus commuters every day. Perhaps you have experienced the heartbreak of watching someone you love travel by car needlessly, day in and day out, when they could have just caught the 10B.

Indeed, riding a bus can be intimidating the first time. Unlike riding Metrorail, where everyone kind of just crams in together at the same time and tries to act like they aren’t really trying to beat you to the last empty seat, on a bus you have to endure what you might perceive as a crowd of judgmental eyes watching you fumble around trying to figure out how to pay, or perhaps ask the driver a “stupid” question,...

Pedestrian fatalities due to motorists rise by 186% in the month of November directly following the Daylight Savings time change. According to the two scientists from Carnegie Mellon University who reported these findings, the dramatic increase in pedestrian-vehicle accidents is not due to the darkness by itself as much as the timing of the darkness. That is, it takes a few weeks for both pedestrians and motorists to adjust their walking and driving habits to being extra cautious an hour earlier than normal.

Please review these helpful tips to walk more safely in reduced light so you can make it home all safe and snug.

Follow all pedestrian traffic laws, like crossing at marked crosswalks and walking only with the “Walk” signal.
Be visible! If that means wearing something ridiculously bright,...

Halloween is just around the corner and the area’s little vampires and witches are gearing up to go trick-or-treating. Now is the perfect time for parents to review walking safety tips with their kids – before the night of fun begins.

According to Safe Kids, on average, twice as many child pedestrians are killed while walking on Halloween compared to other days of the year. New Safe Kids research shows that only one third of parents talk to their children annually about Halloween safety. Don’t take any chances this Halloween. Check out these tips, compiled to help prepare your children to behave safely and to remind drivers to take extra precautions this Halloween:

Big changes are looming ahead for the commuter benefits program offered by many employers to assist employees with commuting costs—changes which will have a negative impact on your commute regardless of whether you receive those benefits or not. Currently, employers may offer up to $230 per month (for each transit and parking) to help defray the costs of their employees’ commutes. A bicycle benefit is also available for reimbursement to employees up to $20 per month. Employers may contribute the money directly, or if the employer does not opt to do this, employees may pay their own commuting costs using pre-tax dollars. Of particular concern right now is the very real possibility that, once again, the transit portion of the commuter benefit is in jeopardy of being significantly reduced at the end of the year, down to $125 per month from its current level of $230. At the same time, the parking...

Last week, a Metro committee approved major service changes to the Blue, Orange and Yellow lines in an effort to relieve the infamous ‘Orange Crush’ congestion and make room for future Silver Line service to Dulles Airport. In summary, six additional Orange Line trains (three in each direction) will be added per hour during peak periods, which should result in 18% more capacity on the line – the equivalent of 2,600 more seats per hour. The new trains will move straight across the Metro map – from West Falls Church to Largo Town Center.

According to Metro, the Orange Line trains between Courthouse and Rosslyn stations carry more passengers per car than anywhere else in the system, despite the line being the second busiest after the Red Line. To make room for the added Orange Line trains, six former Blue line trains will instead run from Franconia – Springfield...

The long-awaited Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Dedication, which was postponed in August due to Hurricane Irene, is on again this Sunday, October 16. Although plans were scaled back for a somewhat smaller celebration, thousands are still expected to attend the momentous occasion which will feature an impressive lineup of speakers, including civil rights and government leaders, members of King’s family, poets and musicians. President Obama will give the dedication address.

If you want to attend any of the day’s events, you should plan now for the best way to get there in order to avoid any unnecessary hassles as you navigate crowds and road closures.

Metrorail: Metro plans to open two hours early at 5:00 am on Sunday morning and will operate additional 8-car trains to accommodate the increase in riders. Be sure to purchase your metro fares in advance in order...